The father of evolution, Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury on 12th February 1809 at Mount House. Before attending Edinburgh and Cambridge University and sailing on the HMS Beagle, Darwin fished for newts in the Dingle and studied rocks in the Quarry Park. — Original Shrewsbury.

Walking along the canal, two swans landed on the water. It felt that the canal was barely wide enough to contain them with wings open. Swans have massive wings. I didn’t see them coming in behind us, but turned when I heard them. By then they were almost level with us, at head height. As they glided in, the sound was...

On the bus today, I was failing to get my phone back into my jacket pocket. Turned out there was a beer mat wedged in there, and I remember now that these were given out at the Brighton Pint of Science event back in May. It’s a lovely event. Three short talks and Q&A in a pub. We’re lucky in Brighton to have an active...

Listening to Professor Sir John Bell interviewed by John Burn-Murdoch on Radical, 28 May 2026: we haven’t really told the story properly, and it’s gone sort of unrecognised in my view, but since I was a medical student to now, we have, in the UK, added 12 years to life expectancy, on average, for every person in the...

WhatCable looks handy (seen via DenseDiscovery).

Another thing from that MHRA session I mentioned is the thinking around mistakes. What I took from Lawrence Tallon’s comments is that there are two elements: safety and then liability. Safety For drugs, there’s a chunky barrier to market because once you swallow it, you’re committed. The difference for AI is that it’s...

I tuned into the MHRA's "National AI Commission: Ask me Anything" session. It wasn’t a real AMA, but more of an update on the engagement work they've been doing on AI and healthcare in the UK. I think it was Henrietta Hughes who suggested reviewing AI output with your doctor. I like the idea. Is there enough time in a...

Disasters are certainly not natural: hazards are natural. Disasters come as a result of how we live, how we build structures, how we plan and organise our environments — Horace Glaze, operations manager, Red Cross, Jamaica quoted in Delayed Gratification 61.

Becky alerted me to a screening of the National Emergency Briefing's film "The People’s Emergency Briefing". This is not a film you can see on the telly or elsewhere (yet), because rather smartly the organisers want people to meet, watch, and discuss. You can likely find a free screening near you, or host one for your...

Reading Why do heights make your feet feel strange?, The Conversation, 8 May 2026. I assumed everyone had this sensation when faced with a drop, but that's not true. Near a drop, the brain begins to rely more heavily on signals from the feet, effectively turning up their volume. Small shifts in pressure and sway are...

An example from the "not good" camp: they ask for a bunch of details at a stressful time in a format no human would normally use. It took me five attempts, and after the first I wondered if it was phishing. Most of Nationwide has been adequate to good. But not this bit.

During the festival, the co-working space I use in Brighton becomes The Imposter Club artists open house. Cartoons, photos, printing (2D and 3D), installations, interactive art, and "doodling is good for you" workshops. Just turn up, have a poke around. The last day of the club is Sunday, 24 May 2026.

Tuesday 12 May 2026 is Mass Observation Diary Day, which "is about recording everyday life in the UK for future generations". This year we are keen to hear about your thoughts and feelings about nature and wellbeing as well as anything else you would like to share about your day. The submission page is over...

At the dog’s annual service, the vet noticed trauma on two teeth. Looks like Breezy had chewed on something too enthusiastically, and those teeth would have to come out. That operation was yesterday. While the dog was recovering, the vet called with a shock. The x-rays showed up damage the vet hadn’t been able to see....